In a fresh bid to update the practicing doctors in the state with the government decisions regarding ban, approval or suspension of drugs and drug products, the Kerala Drugs Controller's office is planning to circulate relevant notifications to all practicing physicians through the state chapter of Indian Medical Association (IMA).

While speaking to Pharmabiz, K T Gopinathan, Drugs Controller, Kerala, said that in the absence of a proper communication channel between the drug control departments (CDSCO as well as state DCs) and the practicing doctors, often the doctors happened to prescribe even the banned or suspended drugs.

"It has become an urgent need to make the doctors aware of all such developments as fast as possible. So, we have decided to undertake the responsibility of disseminating all required drug information to the doctors through their apex organization," he said.

With this proposal, all the notifications regarding drug approvals, ban or suspension orders issued by state DC as well as Central Drug Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), would be sent to IMA state chapter office and district offices. All such information will be uploaded in the website as well.

Although there are delays in receiving notifications from the central department often, with the CDSCO website and with the proposed national network linking all the state DC offices and the CDSCO, this problem can be tackled, he added.

It may be mentioned that recently the IMA Kerala chapter had raised an issue that its members were found prescribing Vitamin B1, B6, and B12 combination more than a year after the ban of this product in the country. The association was quoted that the delay in stopping prescription of this product was due to lack of information about the ban till recently.